Clowing around 傻里傻氣

A clown smiles during the Rose Monday street parade in Mainz, Germany.一名小丑在德國梅因茲的「玫瑰星期一」街頭遊行中笑顏綻開。 (照片：法新社)

PHOTO : AFP

When you see clowns, what do you think of? Most people think of laughter and silly behavior.

Clowns have been making people laugh in countries all over the world for hundreds of years. Often, to make people laugh, clowns pretend to be dumb, or they say ridiculous things.

Many kings and queens had clowns to make their friends laugh. Since clowns were thought of as stupid, they were often able to say things that other people would have been punished for saying. So, even though they weren't treated very well, they were able to speak the truth when other people could not. Maybe that's why most clowns are shown wearing a big, red smile underneath their big, red nose. (Kayleen Hartman, staff writer)